Dynamic adjustment of game controller sensitivity based on audio analysis

ABSTRACT

An electronic device may receive a plurality of channels of game and/or chat audio during play of a game. The electronic device may detect one or more sounds on one or more of the audio channels during the monitoring of the plurality of audio channels. The electronic device may control, based on the detected one or more sounds, operation of a game controller that interacts with the game during play. The controlling of the operation of the game controller may comprise adjusting sensitivity of the game controller. The electronic device may determine directionality of the detected one or more sounds and adjust the sensitivity of the game controller based on the determined directionality of the detected one or more sounds. The electronic device may increase and/or decrease the sensitivity of the game controller in response to changes in the determined directionality of the detected one or more sounds.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/331,512 filed Jul. 15, 2014 (now patented as U.S. Pat. No.8,979,658) which in turn, claims priority to and the benefit of U.S.provisional patent application 61/889,102 filed on Oct. 10, 2013. Eachof the above reference documents is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Each of the following applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety:

-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/040,144 titled “Gaming Headset    with Programmable Audio” and published as US2012/0014553; and-   U.S. provisional patent application 61/878,728 titled “Multi-Device    Gaming Interface” filed on Sep. 17, 2013.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the present application relate to electronic gaming. Morespecifically, to methods and systems for dynamic adjustment of gamecontroller sensitivity based on audio analysis.

BACKGROUND

Limitations and disadvantages of conventional approaches to audioprocessing for gaming will become apparent to one of skill in the art,through comparison of such approaches with some aspects of the presentmethod and system set forth in the remainder of this disclosure withreference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Methods and systems are provided for dynamic control of game controllersensitivity based on audio analysis, substantially as illustrated byand/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as setforth more completely in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a diagram that depicts an example gaming console, which maybe utilized to provide dynamic control of game controller sensitivitybased on audio analysis, in accordance with various exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a diagram that depicts an example gaming audio subsystemcomprising a headset and an audio basestation, in accordance withvarious exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1C is a diagram of an exemplary gaming console and an associatednetwork of peripheral devices, in accordance with various exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams that depict two views of an exampleembodiment of a gaming headset, in accordance with various exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2C is a diagram that depicts a block diagram of the example headsetof FIGS. 2A and 2B, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments ofthe disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a diagram that depicts two views of an example embodiment ofan audio basestation, in accordance with various exemplary embodimentsof the disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a diagram that depicts a block diagram of the audiobasestation, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary multi-purpose device, inaccordance with various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary subsystem that maybe utilized for adjusting game controller sensitivity during game play,in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for providingdynamic control of game controller sensitivity based on audio analysis,in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for providingdynamic control of game controller sensitivity based on audio analysis,in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain embodiments of the disclosure may be found in a method andsystem for dynamic control of game controller sensitivity based on audioanalysis. In accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure, anelectronic device, such as an audio headset and/or audio basestation,may receive a plurality of channels of game and/or chat audio duringplay of a game. The electronic device may detect one or more sounds onone or more of the audio channels during the monitoring of the pluralityof audio channels. The electronic device may control, based on thedetected one or more sounds, operation of a game controller thatinteracts with the game during play. The controlling of the operation ofthe game controller may comprise adjusting sensitivity of the gamecontroller. The electronic device may determine directionality of thedetected one or more sounds and adjust the sensitivity of the gamecontroller based on the determined directionality of the detected one ormore sounds. The electronic device may increase and/or decrease thesensitivity of the game controller in response to changes in thedetermined directionality of the detected one or more sounds. Theelectronic device may perform signal analysis on the plurality ofchannels. The electronic device may determine characteristics of thedetected one or more sounds based on the signal analysis. The electronicdevice may adjust the sensitivity of the game controller based on thedetermined characteristics of the detected one or more sounds. Theelectronic device may increase and/or decrease the sensitivity of thegame controller in response to changes in the determined characteristicsof the detected one or more sounds. The electronic device may performthe increase and/or decrease of the sensitivity of the game controllerdynamically (e.g., during game play while concurrently processing audio)and/or adaptively (e.g., based on feedback such as from the gamecontroller and/or the game console on which the game is being played).

FIG. 1A depicts an example gaming console, which may be utilized toprovide dynamic control of game controller sensitivity based on audioanalysis, in accordance with various exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a console 176, userinterface devices 102, 104, a monitor 108, an audio subsystem 110, and anetwork 106.

The game console 176 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to present a game to, and also enablegame play interaction between, one or more local players and/or one ormore remote players. The game console 176 which may be, for example, aWindows computing device, a Unix computing device, a Linux computingdevice, an Apple OSX computing device, an Apple iOS computing device, anAndroid computing device, a Microsoft Xbox, a Sony Playstation, aNintendo Wii, or the like. The example game console 176 comprises aradio 126, network interface 130, video interface 132, audio interface134, controller hub 150, main system on chip (SoC) 148, memory 162,optical drive 172, and storage device 174. The SoC 148 comprises centralprocessing unit (CPU) 154, graphics processing unit (GPU) 156, audioprocessing unit (APU) 158, cache memory 164, and memory management unit(MMU) 166. The various components of the game console 176 arecommunicatively coupled through various buses/links 136, 138, 142, 144,146, 152, 160, 168, and 170.

The controller hub 150 comprises circuitry that supports one or moredata bus protocols such as High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI),Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment II,III or variants thereof (SATA II, SATA III), embedded multimedia cardinterface (e.MMC), Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), orthe like. The controller hub 150 may also be referred to as aninput/output (I/O) controller hub. Exemplary controller hubs maycomprise Southbridge, Haswell, Fusion and Sandybridge. The controllerhub 150 may be operable to receive audio and/or video from an externalsource via link 112 (e.g., HDMI), from the optical drive (e.g., Blu-Ray)172 via link 168 (e.g., SATA II, SATA III), and/or from storage 174(e.g., hard drive, FLASH memory, or the like) via link 170 (e.g., SATAII, III and/or e.MMC). Digital audio and/or video is output to the SoC148 via link 136 (e.g., CEA-861-E compliant video and IEC 61937compliant audio). The controller hub 150 exchanges data with the radio126 via link 138 (e.g., USB), with external devices via link 140 (e.g.,USB), with the storage 174 via the link 170, and with the SoC 148 viathe link 152 (e.g., PCIe).

The radio 126 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to communicate in accordance with one or morewireless standards such as the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, theBluetooth family of standards, near field communication (NFC), and/orthe like.

The network interface 130 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate in accordancewith one or more wired standards and to convert between wired standards.For example, the network interface 130 may communicate with the SoC 148via link 142 using a first standard (e.g., PCIe) and may communicatewith the network 106 using a second standard (e.g., gigabit Ethernet).

The video interface 132 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate video inaccordance with one or more wired or wireless video transmissionstandards. For example, the video interface 132 may receive CEA-861-Ecompliant video data via link 144 and encapsulate/format, etc., thevideo data in accordance with an HDMI standard for output to the monitor108 via an HDMI link 120.

The audio interface 134 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to communicate audio inaccordance with one or more wired or wireless audio transmissionstandards. For example, the audio interface 134 may receive CEA-861-Ecompliant audio data via the link 146 and encapsulate/format, etc. thevideo data in accordance with an HDMI standard for output to the audiosubsystem 110 via an HDMI link 122.

The central processing unit (CPU) 154 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to executeinstructions for controlling/coordinating the overall operation of thegame console 176. Such instructions may be part of an operating systemof the console and/or part of one or more software applications runningon the console.

The graphics processing unit (GPU) 156 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to performgraphics processing functions such as compression, decompression,encoding, decoding, 3D rendering, and/or the like.

The audio processing unit (APU) 158 may comprise suitable logic,circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to perform audioprocessing functions such as volume/gain control, compression,decompression, encoding, decoding, surround-sound processing, and/or thelike to output single channel or multi-channel (e.g., 2 channels forstereo or 5, 7, or more channels for surround sound) audio signals. TheAPU 158 comprises memory (e.g., volatile and/or non-volatile memory) 159which stores parameter settings to affect processing of audio by the APU158. For example, the parameter settings may include a first audiogain/volume setting that determines, at least in part, a volume of gameaudio output by the console 176 and a second audio gain/volume settingthat determines, at least in part, a volume of chat audio output by theconsole 176. The parameter settings may be modified via a graphical userinterface (GUI) of the console and/or via an application programminginterface (API) provided by the console 176.

The cache memory 164 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may provide high-speed memory functions for use by theCPU 154, GPU 156, and/or APU 158. The cache memory 164 may typicallycomprise DRAM or variants thereof. The memory 162 may compriseadditional memory for use by the CPU 154, GPU 156, and/or APU 158. Thememory 162, typically DRAM, may operate at a slower speed than the cachememory 164 but may also be less expensive than cache memory as well asoperate at a higher speed than the memory of the storage device 174. TheMMU 166 controls accesses by the CPU 154, GPU 156, and/or APU 158 to thememory 162, the cache 164, and/or the storage device 174.

In FIG. 1A, the example game console 176 is communicatively coupled tothe user interface device 102, the user interface device 104, thenetwork 106, the monitor 108, and the audio subsystem 110.

Each of the user interface devices 102 and 104 may comprise, forexample, a game controller, a keyboard, a motion sensor/positiontracker, or the like. The user interface device 102 communicates withthe game console 176 wirelessly via link 114 (e.g., Wi-Fi Direct,Bluetooth, NFC and/or the like). The user interface device 102 may beoperable to communicate with the game console 176 via the wired link 140(e.g., USB or the like).

The network 106 comprises a local area network and/or a wide areanetwork. The game console 176 communicates with the network 106 viawired link 118 (e.g., Gigabit Ethernet).

The monitor 108 may be, for example, a LCD, OLED, or PLASMA screen. Thegame console 176 sends video to the monitor 108 via link 120 (e.g.,HDMI).

The audio subsystem 110 may be, for example, a headset, a combination ofheadset and audio basestation, or a set of speakers and accompanyingaudio processing circuitry. The game console 176 sends audio to theaudio subsystem 110 via link(s) 122 (e.g., S/PDIF for digital audio or“line out” for analog audio). Additional details of an example audiosubsystem 110 are described below.

FIG. 1B is a diagram that depicts an example gaming audio subsystemcomprising a headset and an audio basestation, in accordance withvarious exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1B,there is shown a console 176, a headset 200 and an audio basestation301. The headset 200 communicates with the basestation 301 via a link180 and the basestation 301 communicates with the console 176 via a link122. The link 122 may be as described above. In an exampleimplementation, the link 180 may be a proprietary wireless linkoperating in an unlicensed frequency band. The headset 200 may be asdescribed below with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C. The basestation 301 maybe as described below with reference to FIGS. 3A-3B.

FIG. 1C is a diagram of an exemplary gaming console and an associatednetwork of peripheral devices, in accordance with various exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1C, there is shown isthe console 176, which is communicatively coupled to a plurality ofperipheral devices and a network 106. The example peripheral devicesshown include a monitor 108, a user interface device 102, a headset 200,an audio basestation 301, and a multi-purpose device 192.

The monitor 108 and the user interface device 102 are as describedabove. The headset 200 is as described below with reference to FIGS.2A-2C. The audio basestation is as described below with reference to,for example, FIGS. 3A-3B.

The multi-purpose device 192 may comprise, for example, a tabletcomputer, a smartphone, a laptop computer, or the like and that runs anoperating system such as Android, Linux, Windows, iOS, OSX, or the like.An example multi-purpose device is described below with reference toFIG. 4. Hardware (e.g., a network adaptor) and software (i.e., theoperating system and one or more applications loaded onto the device192) may configure the device 192 for operating as part of the GPN 190.For example, an application running on the device 192 may cause displayof a graphical user interface (GUI), which may enable a user to accessgaming-related data, commands, functions, parameter settings, and so on.The graphical user interface may enable a user to interact with theconsole 176 and the other devices of the GPN 190 to enhance the user'sgaming experience. Examples of such interactions between the device 192and the other devices of the GPN 190 are described in above incorporatedU.S. provisional patent application 61/878,728 titled “Multi-DeviceGaming Interface.

The peripheral devices 102, 108, 192, 200, 300 are in communication withone another via a plurality of wired and/or wireless links (representedvisually by the placement of the devices in the cloud of GPN 190). Eachof the peripheral devices in the gaming peripheral network (GPN) 190 maycommunicate with one or more others of the peripheral devices in the GPN190 in a single-hop or multi-hop fashion. For example, the headset 200may communicate with the basestation 301 in a single hop (e.g., over aproprietary RF link) and with the device 192 in a single hop (e.g., overa Bluetooth or Wi-Fi direct link), while the tablet may communicate withthe basestation 301 in two hops via the headset 200. As another example,the user interface device 102 may communicate with the headset 200 in asingle hop (e.g., over a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi direct link) and with thedevice 192 in a single hop (e.g., over a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi directlink), while the device 192 may communicate with the headset 200 in twohops via the user interface device 102. These example interconnectionsamong the peripheral devices of the GPN 190 are merely examples, anynumber and/or types of links and/or hops among the devices of the GPN190 is possible.

The GPN 190 may communicate with the console 176 via any one or more ofthe connections 114, 140, 122, and 120 described above. The GPN 190 maycommunicate with a network 106 via one or more links 194 each of whichmay be, for example, Wi-Fi, wired Ethernet, and/or the like.

A database 182 which stores gaming audio data is accessible via thenetwork 106. The gaming audio data may comprise, for example, signatures(or “acoustic fingerprints”) of particular audio clips (e.g., individualsounds or collections or sequences of sounds) that are part of the gameaudio of particular games, of particular levels/scenarios of particulargames, particular characters of particular games, etc. In an exampleimplementation, the database 182 may comprise a plurality of records183, where each record 183 comprises an audio clip (or signature of theclip) 184, a description of the clip 185 (e.g., the game it is from,when it occurs in the game, etc.), one or more gaming commands 186associated with the clip, one or more parameter settings 187 associatedwith the clip, and/or other data associated with the audio clip. Records183 of the database 182 may be downloadable to, or accessed in real-timeby, one of more devices of the GPN 190.

In instances where the user interface device 102 comprises a gamecontroller that is operable to control game play, the sensitivity of theuser interface device 102 may be controlled based on sounds that aredetected during the game play. In this regard, the headset 200 may beoperable to monitor a plurality of channels of game and/or chat audioand detect the sounds during game play. Based on the characteristics ofthe detected sounds, the headset 200 may be operable to control thesensitivity of the game controller. As sensitivity increases, the sameamount of movement of a joystick or D-pad of the controller results inrelatively larger or more rapid on-screen movements. Similarly, assensitivity decreases, the same amount of movement of a joystick orD-pad of the controller results in relatively smaller or less rapidon-screen movements.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the headset 200 may be operableto communicate directly with the game controller via, for example, awireless communication link. In this regard, the headset 200 may beoperable to communicate information that is used to control thesensitivity over the game controller over the wireless communicationlink. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the headset 200 may beoperable to communicate indirectly with the game controller via theconsole 176. In this regard, the headset 200 may be operable tocommunicate information that is used to control the sensitivity over thegame controller to the console 176 and the console 176 may utilize thatinformation to control the game controller and/or control its responseto inputs from the game controller. In some embodiments of thedisclosure, the console 176 may communicate the information that isreceived from the headset 200 to the game controller, and the gamecontroller may utilize the received information to control itssensitivity. The communication link between the headset 200 and the gameconsole 176 may comprise a wired and/or wireless communication link andthe communication link between the game console 176 and the gamecontroller may comprise a wired and/or wireless communication link.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the basestation 300 (FIG. 1B) maybe operable to provide connectivity between the headset 200, the console176 and the user interface device 102, which may comprise a gamecontroller. In this regard, the basestation 300 may be operable tocommunicate game controller sensitivity information from the gameheadset to the user interface device 102, which may comprise a gamecontroller.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams that depict two views of an exampleembodiment of a gaming headset, in accordance with various exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, there areshown two views of an example headset 200 that may present audio outputby a gaming console such as the console 176. The headset 200 comprises aheadband 202, a microphone boom 206 with microphone 204, ear cups 208 aand 208 b which surround speakers 216 a and 216 b, connector 210,connector 214, and user controls 212.

The connector 210 may be, for example, a 3.5 mm headphone socket forreceiving analog audio signals (e.g., receiving chat audio via an Xbox“talkback” cable).

The microphone 204 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to convert acoustic waves (e.g., thevoice of the person wearing the headset) to electric signals forprocessing by circuitry of the headset and/or for output to a device(e.g., console 176, basestation 301, a smartphone, and/or the like) thatis in communication with the headset.

The speakers 216 a and 216 b may comprise circuitry that may be operableto convert electrical signals to sound waves.

The user controls 212 may comprise dedicated and/or programmablebuttons, switches, sliders, wheels, etc. for performing variousfunctions. Example functions which the controls 212 may be configured toperform include: power the headset 200 on/off, mute/unmute themicrophone 204, control gain/volume of, and/or effects applied to, chataudio by the audio processing circuitry of the headset 200, controlgain/volume of, and/or effects applied to, game audio by the audioprocessing circuitry of the headset 200, enable/disable/initiate pairing(e.g., via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi direct, NFC, or the like) with anothercomputing device, and/or the like. Some of the user controls 212 mayadaptively and/or dynamically change during gameplay based on aparticular game that is being played. Some of the user controls 212 mayalso adaptively and/or dynamically change during gameplay based on aparticular player that is engage in the game play. The connector 214 maybe, for example, a USB, thunderbolt, Firewire or other type of port orinterface. The connector 214 may be used for downloading data to theheadset 200 from another computing device and/or uploading data from theheadset 200 to another computing device. Such data may include, forexample, parameter settings (described below). Additionally, oralternatively, the connector 214 may be used for communicating withanother computing device such as a smartphone, tablet compute, laptopcomputer, or the like.

FIG. 2C is a diagram that depicts a block diagram of the example headsetof FIGS. 2A and 2B, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments ofthe disclosure. Referring to FIG. 2C, there is shown a headset 200. Inaddition to the connector 210, user controls 212, connector 214,microphone 204, and speakers 216 a and 216 b already discussed, shownare a radio 220, a CPU 222, a storage device 224, a memory 226, and anaudio processing circuit 230.

The radio 220 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to communicate in accordance with one or morestandardized (such as, for example, the IEEE 802.11 family of standards,NFC, the Bluetooth family of standards, and/or the like) and/orproprietary wireless protocol(s) (e.g., a proprietary protocol forreceiving audio from an audio basestation such as the basestation 301).

The CPU 222 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to execute instructions forcontrolling/coordinating the overall operation of the headset 200. Suchinstructions may be part of an operating system or state machine of theheadset 200 and/or part of one or more software applications running onthe headset 200. In some implementations, the CPU 222 may be, forexample, a programmable interrupt controller, a state machine, or thelike.

The CPU 222 may also be operable to handle dynamic control of gamecontroller sensitivity based on audio analysis of a plurality of audiochannels. In this regard, the CPU 222 may be operable to dynamicallyand/or adaptively handle the adjustment of the sensitivity of one ormore of the user interface devices 102, 104 such as a game controllerbased on audio detected on one or more of a plurality of monitored audiochannels and/or based on audio information, which may be stored in thestorage device 224 and/or the memory 226. The audio information mayinclude information such as is stored in the database 182 of FIG. 1C.Characteristics of detected sounds may, for example, be input to alook-up table for a particular game to identify the particular soundsand, once the sounds are identified, a database record 183 correspondingto that sound may be accessed to, for example, determine controllersensitivity suited for interacting with a source of the sound.

The storage device 224 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may comprise, for example, FLASH or othernonvolatile memory, which may be operable to store data comprisingoperating data, configuration data, settings, and so on, which may beused by the CPU 222 and/or the audio processing circuit 230. Such datamay include, for example, parameter settings that affect processing ofaudio signals in the headset 200 and parameter settings that affectfunctions performed by the user controls 212. For example, one or moreparameter settings may determine, at least in part, a gain of one ormore gain elements of the audio processing circuit 230. As anotherexample, one or more parameter settings may determine, at least in part,a frequency response of one or more filters that operate on audiosignals in the audio processing circuit 230. As another example, one ormore parameter settings may determine, at least in part, whether andwhich sound effects are added to audio signals in the audio processingcircuit 230 (e.g., which effects to add to microphone audio to morph theuser's voice). Example parameter settings which affect audio processingare described in the co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/040,144 titled “Gaming Headset with Programmable Audio” and publishedas US2012/0014553, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated hereinby reference. Particular parameter settings may be selected autonomouslyby the headset 200 in accordance with one or more algorithms, based onuser input (e.g., via controls 212), and/or based on input received viaone or more of the connectors 210 and 214.

The storage device 224 may also be operable to store audio informationcorresponding to a plurality of audio channels for a game play. Theaudio information may be utilized to control sensitivity of one or moreof the user interface devices 102, 104 such as a game controller. In oneembodiment of the disclosure, the headset 200 may be operable todownload the audio information for a particular game from a server andstore the downloaded audio information in the storage device 224. Inthis regard, the CPU 222 may be operable to configure the radio 220 todownload the audio information for a particular game.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the CPU 222 may be operable toconfigure the audio processing circuit 230 to perform signal analysis onthe plurality of audio channels that are received via the connector 210and/or the radio 220. The CPU 222 may be operable to control theoperation of the audio processing circuit 230 in order to store theresults of the audio analysis along with an identifier of the game inthe storage device 224 and/or upload the results to an online locationsuch as the database 182 of FIG. 1C. The audio analysis may be executedthe first time that the game is played using the headset 200. The storedresults of the audio analysis may be utilized by the headset 200 tocontrol sensitivity of one or more of the user interface devices 102,104 such as a game controller.

The memory 226 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may comprise volatile memory used by the CPU 222 and/or audioprocessing circuit 230 as program memory, for storing runtime data, etc.In this regard, the memory 226 may comprise information and/or data thatmay be utilized to control operation of the audio processing circuit 230to perform signal analysis on the plurality of received audio channels.The memory 226 may comprise information and/or data that may be utilizedby the headset 200 to control sensitivity of one or more of the userinterface devices 102, 104 such as a game controller.

The audio processing circuit 230 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to perform audio processingfunctions such as volume/gain control, compression, decompression,encoding, decoding, introduction of audio effects (e.g., echo, phasing,virtual surround effect, etc.), and/or the like. As described above, theprocessing performed by the audio processing circuit 230 may bedetermined, at least in part, by which parameter settings have beenselected. The processing performed by the audio processing circuit 230may also be determined based on default settings, player preference,and/or by adaptive and/or dynamic changes to the game play environment.The processing may be performed on game, chat, and/or microphone audiothat is subsequently output to speaker 216 a and 216 b. Additionally, oralternatively, the processing may be performed on chat audio that issubsequently output to the connector 210 and/or radio 220.

The audio processing circuit 230 may be operable to perform signalanalysis on the received channels of game and/or chat audio. In thisregard, the audio processing circuit 230 may be operable to analyze theaudio on each of the plurality of received audio channels in order todetermine, for example, directionality of one or more detected sounds.Directionality of a particular sound may be determine by, for example:which surround channel(s) the sound is currently detected on, whichsurround channel(s) the sound was previously detected on, a currentintensity of the sound, and/or a previous intensity of the sound. Basedon the analysis, the audio processing circuit 230 may be operable toincrease or decrease the sensitivity of one or more of the userinterface devices 102, 104 such as a game controller. For example, ifthe audio analysis determines that the detected sounds may be comingfrom the rear of the listener's game character, then the headset 200 maybe operable to increase the sensitivity of the game controller so thatthe game controller becomes highly sensitive and may be utilized torapidly spin the listener's game character in the direction of thedetected sounds. When the audio processing circuit 230 determines thatthe detected sounds have moved to the center channel, the headset 200may be operable to decrease the sensitivity of the game controller sothe listener's game character may be maneuvered to a position where itmay precisely interact with the source of the sounds.

In an exemplary operation of the disclosure, the CPU 222 may be operableto control the audio processing circuit 230 to detect sounds on one ormore monitored audio channels for a game during game play. The CPU 222may be operable to configure the headset 200 to control operation of oneor more of the user interface devices 102, 104 such as a game controllerbased on characteristics of the detected sounds. In this regard, theheadset 200 may be operable to analyze the sounds that are detected onone or more of the monitored audio channels and may determine thedirectionality of the detected sounds. Based on the determineddirectionality, the CPU 222 may control the headset 200 to generate oneor more signals for adjusting the sensitivity of the one or more of theuser interface devices 102, 104 such as a game controller by dynamicallyand/or adaptively increasing or decreasing the sensitivity of the gamecontroller. The CPU 222 may also be operable to obtain stored audioinformation for the game from the storage device 224. In this regard,the CPU 222 may detect or determine the identity of the game and mayobtain or load the corresponding stored audio information for thedetected or determined game from the storage device 224 and/or from anonline source such as database 182. The stored audio information mayalso be utilized by the headset 200 to control operation of the one ormore of the user interface devices 102, 104 such as a game controller.

FIG. 3A is a diagram that depicts two views of an example embodiment ofan audio basestation, in accordance with various exemplary embodimentsof the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3A, there is shown an exemplaryembodiment of an audio basestation 301. The basestation 301 comprisesstatus indicators 302, user controls 310, power port 324, and audioconnectors 314, 316, 318, and 320.

The audio connectors 314 and 316 may comprise digital audio in anddigital audio out (e.g., S/PDIF) connectors, respectively. The audioconnectors 318 and 320 may comprise a left “line in” and a right “linein” connector, respectively. The controls 310 may comprise, for example,a power button, a button for enabling/disabling virtual surround sound,a button for adjusting the perceived angles of the speakers when thevirtual surround sound is enabled, and a dial for controlling avolume/gain of the audio received via the “line in” connectors 318 and320. The status indicators 302 may indicate, for example, whether theaudio basestation 301 is powered on, whether audio data is beingreceived by the basestation 301 via connectors 314, and/or what type ofaudio data (e.g., Dolby Digital) is being received by the basestation301.

FIG. 3B is a diagram that depicts a block diagram of the audiobasestation 301, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure. Referring to FIG. 3B, there is shown an exemplary embodimentof an audio basestation 301. In addition to the user controls 310,indicators 302, and connectors 314, 316, 318, and 320 described above,the block diagram additionally shows a CPU 322, a storage device 324, amemory 326, a radio 320, an audio processing circuit 330, and a radio332.

The radio 320 comprises suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to communicate in accordance with one or morestandardized (such as the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, the Bluetoothfamily of standards, NFC, and/or the like) and/or proprietary (e.g.,proprietary protocol for receiving audio protocols for receiving audiofrom a console such as the console 176) wireless protocols.

The radio 332 comprises suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to communicate in accordance with one or morestandardized (such as, for example, the IEEE 802.11 family of standards,the Bluetooth family of standards, and/or the like) and/or proprietarywireless protocol(s) (e.g., a proprietary protocol for transmittingaudio to the headphones 200).

The CPU 322 comprises suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or codethat may be operable to execute instructions forcontrolling/coordinating the overall operation of the audio basestation301. Such instructions may be part of an operating system or statemachine of the audio basestation 301 and/or part of one or more softwareapplications running on the audio basestation 301. In someimplementations, the CPU 322 may be, for example, a programmableinterrupt controller, a state machine, or the like.

The storage 324 may comprise, for example, FLASH or other nonvolatilememory for storing data which may be used by the CPU 322 and/or theaudio processing circuitry 330. Such data may include, for example,parameter settings that affect processing of audio signals in thebasestation 301. For example, one or more parameter settings maydetermine, at least in part, a gain of one or more gain elements of theaudio processing circuitry 330. As another example, one or moreparameter settings may determine, at least in part, a frequency responseof one or more filters that operate on audio signals in the audioprocessing circuitry 330. As another example, one or more parametersettings may determine, at least in part, whether and which soundeffects are added to audio signals in the audio processing circuitry 330(e.g., which effects to add to microphone audio to morph the user'svoice). Example parameter settings which affect audio processing aredescribed in the co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/040,144titled “Gaming Headset with Programmable Audio” and published asUS2012/0014553, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference. Particular parameter settings may be selected autonomously bythe basestation 301 in accordance with one or more algorithms, based onuser input (e.g., via controls 310), and/or based on input received viaone or more of the connectors 314, 316, 318, and 320.

The memory 326 may comprise volatile memory used by the CPU 322 and/oraudio processing circuit 330 as program memory, for storing runtimedata, etc.

The audio processing circuit 330 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to perform audio processingfunctions such as volume/gain control, compression, decompression,encoding, decoding, introduction of audio effects (e.g., echo, phasing,virtual surround effect, etc.), and/or the like. As described above, theprocessing performed by the audio processing circuit 330 may bedetermined, at least in part, by which parameter settings have beenselected. The processing may be performed on game and/or chat audiosignals that are subsequently output to a device (e.g., headset 200) incommunication with the basestation 301. Additionally, or alternatively,the processing may be performed on a microphone audio signal that issubsequently output to a device (e.g., console 176) in communicationwith the basestation 301.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary multi-purpose device 192, inaccordance with various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Theexample multi-purpose device 192 comprises an application processor 402,memory subsystem 404, a cellular/GPS networking subsystem 406, sensors408, power management subsystem 410, LAN subsystem 412, bus adaptor 414,user interface subsystem 416, and audio processor 418.

The application processor 402 comprises suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to execute instructions forcontrolling/coordinating the overall operation of the multi-purposedevice 192 as well as graphics processing functions of the multi-purposedevice 1922. Such instructions may be part of an operating system of theconsole and/or part of one or more software applications running on theconsole.

The memory subsystem 404 comprises volatile memory for storing runtimedata, nonvolatile memory for mass storage and long-term storage, and/ora memory controller which controls reads/writes to memory.

The cellular/GPS networking subsystem 406 comprises suitable logic,circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be operable to performbaseband processing and analog/RF processing for transmission andreception of cellular and GPS signals.

The sensors 408 comprise, for example, a camera, a gyroscope, anaccelerometer, a biometric sensor, and/or the like.

The power management subsystem 410 comprises suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to manage distribution ofpower among the various components of the multi-purpose device 192.

The LAN subsystem 412 comprises suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to perform baseband processing andanalog/RF processing for transmission and reception of cellular and GPSsignals.

The bus adaptor 414 comprises suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable for interfacing one or more internaldata busses of the multi-purpose device with an external bus (e.g., aUniversal Serial Bus) for transferring data to/from the multi-purposedevice via a wired connection.

The user interface subsystem 416 comprises suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to control and relay signalsto/from a touchscreen, hard buttons, and/or other input devices of themulti-purpose device 192.

The audio processor 418 comprises suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to process (e.g., digital-to-analogconversion, analog-to-digital conversion, compression, decompression,encryption, decryption, resampling, etc.) audio signals. The audioprocessor 418 may be operable to receive and/or output signals via aconnector such as a 3.5 mm stereo and microphone connector.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary subsystem that maybe utilized for adjusting game controller sensitivity during game play,in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5,there is shown a game console 502, a monitor 503, a headset 504, anexternal storage device 506, and a game controller 508. The headset 504may comprise an audio processor 504 a, an internal storage device 504 b,a sensitivity controller 504 d, a radio 504 e and a CPU 522. Theinternal storage device 504 b may comprise a sounds database 504 c. Theexternal storage device 506 may comprise a sounds database 506 a. Thegame controller 508 may comprise a controller sensitivity module 508 a.

The game console 502 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to present a game to, and also enablegame play interaction between, one or more local players and/or one ormore remote players. The game console 502 may be substantially similarto the game console 176, which is shown and described with respect toFIG. 1A. The game console 502 may be operable to generate output videosignals for a game over a video channel and output corresponding audiosignals for the game over one or more of a plurality of audio channels.Exemplary audio channels may comprise a center (CTR) channel, a frontright (FR) channel, a front left (FL) channel, a rear right (RR)channel, a rear left (RL) channel, a side right (SR) channel, and a sideleft (SL) channel. The video generated from the game console 502 duringgame play may be communicated to the monitor 503 to be displayed by themonitor 503. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the game console 502may be operable to adjust sensitivity of the game controller 508 for agame being played on the console 502 and displayed on the monitor 503.In some embodiments of the disclosure, the game console 502 may beoperable to receive game controller sensitivity information from theheadset 504 and communicate the received game controller sensitivityinformation for the game play to the game controller 508.

The monitor 503 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to display corresponding audio andvideo that may be received from the game console 502 for the game duringgame play. The monitor 503 may comprise a television (TV), computermonitor, laptop display, and so on.

The headset 504 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfacesand/or code that may be operable to receive the plurality of channels ofgame and/or chat audio. The headset 504 may be substantially similar tothe headset 200, which is shown and described with respect to FIGS. 2A,2B and 2C. The headset 504 may be operable to monitor and analyze theaudio in order to determine characteristics of the sounds on themonitored channels and adjust sensitivity of the game controller 508based on the determined characteristics of the audio. Exemplarycharacteristics may comprise directionality, pitch, tone, frequency ofoccurrence and/or intensity.

The external storage device 506 may comprise one or more suitabledevices having suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code thatmay be operable to store audio information and/or game controllersensitivity information for a game. The audio information and/or gamecontroller sensitivity information may be stored in, for example, thesounds database 506 a. The audio information and/or game controllersensitivity information may be utilized to control sensitivity of thegame controller 508 based on characteristics of the analyzed audiosignals. The stored audio information and/or game controller sensitivityinformation in the sounds database 506 a may be transferred from theexternal storage device 506 to the sounds database 504 c in the internalstorage device 504 b and be utilized to control sensitivity of the gamecontroller 508 during game play.

The audio processor 504 a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to monitor the pluralitychannels of game and/or chat audio. The audio processor 504 a may besubstantially similar to the audio processing circuit 230, which isshown and described with respect to FIG. 1A. The audio processor 504 amay be operable to utilize signal analysis to determine thecharacteristics of sounds in the monitored plurality of audio channels.In instances when the audio processor 504 a detects certain soundsand/or characteristics, the audio processor 504 a may be operable tocause the sensitivity controller 504 d to communicate game controllersensitivity information to the controller sensitivity module 508 a. Thegame controller sensitivity information may be communicated via the link510 a, or via the links 512 a and 512 b. In some embodiments of thedisclosure, the basestation 300 (FIG. 1B) may be operable to provideconnectivity between the headset 504, the game console 502 and the gamecontroller 508. In this regard, the basestation 300 may be operable tocommunicate game controller sensitivity information from the gameheadset 504 to the game controller 508.

The internal storage device 504 b may comprise one or more suitabledevices that may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to store audio information and/or gamecontroller sensitivity information for a game. The internal storagedevice 504 b may be substantially similar to the storage device 224,which is shown and described with respect to FIG. 2C. The audioinformation and/or game controller sensitivity information may be storedin, for example, the sounds database 504 c. The audio information and/orgame controller sensitivity information for a particular game may bedownloaded from the sounds database 506 a, which is in the externalstorage device 506, by the headset 504 via, for example, a wirelessconnection. The downloaded audio information and/or game controllersensitivity information may be stored in the sounds database 504 c,which is in the internal storage device 504 b. The audio informationand/or game controller sensitivity information may be retrieved from theinternal storage device 504 b when a game is initiated.

The CPU 522 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to execute instructions for controlling,managing and/or coordinating the overall operation of the headset 504.In this regard, the CPU 522 may be operable to control, manage andcoordinate operation of the components in the headset 504, whichcomprises the audio processor 504 a, the internal storage device 504 b,the sensitivity controller 504 d, the radio 504 e and the soundsdatabase 504 c. The CPU 522 may also be operable to coordinate andmanage operations between the headset 504, the game console 502, and theexternal storage device 506. The CPU 522 may also be operable tocoordinate and manage operations for the sounds database 504 c and thesounds database 506 a. The CPU 522 may be substantially similar to theCPU 222, which is shown and described with respect to, for example, FIG.2C. In an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, the CPU 522 may beoperable to control the headset 504 to adjust sensitivity of the gamecontroller 508.

The sensitivity controller 504 d may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be operable to determine how the gamecontroller 508 should be adjusted based on the characteristics of thesounds that are detected within the monitored channels by the audioprocessor 504 a. The CPU 522 and/or the sensitivity controller 504 d maybe operable to utilize audio information and/or game controllersensitivity information that is stored in the sounds database 504 c todetermine how the sensitivity of the game controller should be adjusted.In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, the CPU 522 and/orthe sensitivity controller 504 d may be operable to utilize thedetermined characteristics of the detected sound to extract gamecontroller sensitivity information from the sounds database 504 c.

In an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, in instances when theaudio processor 504 a detects sounds whose characteristics in the FR, C,and FL channels indicate that the source of the sounds is moving quicklyacross a field of vision of the listener's game character, thesensitivity controller 504 d may be operable to generate game controllersensitivity information that may be communicated to the controllersensitivity module 508 a. The game controller sensitivity module 508 amay be operable to utilize the received game controller sensitivityinformation to increase the sensitivity of the game controller 508 sothat the player can track the quick moving sound source. In someembodiments of the disclosure, as the characteristics of the detectedsound changed based on the results of the audio analysis, the CPU 522and/or the sensitivity controller 504 d may be operable to dynamicallyand/or adaptively adjust the sensitivity of the game controller 508.

In an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure, in instances when theaudio processor 504 a detects sounds whose characteristics in the FR, C,and FL channels indicate that the source of the sounds is moving slowlyacross a field of vision of the listener's game character, thesensitivity controller 504 d may be operable to generate game controllersensitivity information that may be communicated to the controllersensitivity module 508 a. The game controller sensitivity module 508 amay be operable to utilize the received game controller sensitivityinformation to decrease the sensitivity of the game controller 508 sothat the player can precisely track the slow moving sound source.

The radio 504 e may comprise suitable logic, circuitry interfaces and/orcode that may be operable to communicate game controller sensitivityinformation between the headset 504 and the game console 502 and/orbetween the headset 504 and the game controller 508. The radio 504 e maybe substantially similar to the radio 220, which is shown and describedwith respect to, for example, FIG. 2C. In accordance with an embodimentof the disclosure, the headset 504 may be operable to utilize the radio504 e to communicate game controller sensitivity information from thesensitivity controller 504 d to the game controller 508 via thecommunication link 510 a and/or to the game console 502 via thecommunication link 512 a. In instances where the game controllersensitivity information is communicated from the sensitivity controller504 d to the game console 502, the game console 502 may be operable tocommunicate the received game controller sensitivity information to thecontroller sensitivity module 508 a, which may adjust the sensitivity ofthe game controller 508 accordingly.

The game controller 508 may comprise suitable logic, circuitryinterfaces and/or code that may enable a player to engage in game playand manipulate the listener's main character. In this regard, the gamecontroller 508 may be operable to communicate with the headset 504 viathe communication link 510 a in order to control information as well asgame controller sensitivity information.

The controller sensitivity module 508 a may comprise suitable logic,interfaces and/or code that may enable the game controller 508 toreceive game controller sensitivity information from the sensitivitycontroller 504 d in the headset 504. In an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure, the controller sensitivity module 508 a may be operable tocommunicate with the sensitivity controller 504 d in order to acquiregame controller sensitivity information for sounds that are detected bythe audio processor 504 a during the game play. The controllersensitivity module 508 a may be enabled to utilize the received gamecontroller sensitivity information to adjust the sensitivity of the gamecontroller 508 during the game play. The controller sensitivity module508 a may also be operable to dynamically receive updated gamecontroller sensitivity information for detected sounds from thesensitivity controller 504 d and accordingly update the correspondingsensitivity of the game controller 508.

In operation, the audio processor 504 a may be operable to monitor theplurality of channels of game and/or chat audio from the game console502. In this regard, the audio processor 504 a may be operable toperform signal analysis on each of the plurality of received audiochannels to determine the characteristics of sounds in the game and/orchat audio. The sensitivity controller 504 d may be operable todetermine game controller sensitivity information that may be utilizedto adjust the game controller 508 to a particular level of sensitivitybased on the detected characteristics and based on information in thesounds database 504 c. The sensitivity controller 504 d may be operableto communicate the game controller sensitivity information to thecontroller sensitivity module 508 a via, for example, the communicationlink 510 a. The controller sensitivity module 508 a may adjust thesensitivity of the game controller 508 based on the game controllersensitivity information that is received from the controller sensitivitymodule 508 a. The headset 504 may also be operable to communicate thegame controller sensitivity information from the sensitivity controller504 d to the game console 502 via for example, the communication link512 a. The game console 502 may be operable to communicate the gamecontroller sensitivity information that is received from the sensitivitycontroller 504 d to the controller sensitivity module 508 a via thecommunication link 512 b. In some embodiments of the disclosure, thebasestation 300 may be operable to communicate game controllersensitivity information from the game headset 504 to the game controller508.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for providingdynamic control of game controller sensitivity based on audio analysis,in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a flow chart 600 comprising aplurality of exemplary steps, namely, 602 through 612. In step 602, theheadset channels of game and/or chat audio during game play. In step604, the headset performs signal analysis on the monitored audio. Instep 606, the headset determines characteristics of detected sounds inthe monitored audio based on the signal analysis. In step 608, theheadset generates game controller sensitivity information based on thedetermined characteristics of the detected sounds and/or storedinformation (e.g., in a look-up table and/or sounds database). In step610, the headset communicates the generated game controller sensitivityinformation to the game controller directly or via the game console. Instep 612, the game controller receives the game controller sensitivityinformation and adjusts its sensitivity.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps for providingdynamic control of game controller sensitivity based on audio analysis,in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a flow chart 700 comprising aplurality of exemplary steps, namely, 702 through 710. In step 702, theaudio processor in the headset monitors channels of game and/or chataudio and performs signal analysis on the audio. In step 704, thesensitivity controller 504d determines game controller sensitivityinformation based on the signal analysis and/or stored information. Instep 706, the sensitivity controller 504 d communicates determined gamecontroller sensitivity information to the controller sensitivity module.In step 708, the controller sensitivity module receives the gamecontroller sensitivity information. In step 710, the controllersensitivity module adjusts the sensitivity of the game controller.

An electronic device (e.g., headset 200 and/or basestation 300) mayreceive a plurality of channels of game and/or chat audio during play ofa game. The electronic device may detect one or more sounds on one ormore of the audio channels during the monitoring of the plurality ofaudio channels. The electronic device may control, based on the detectedone or more sounds, operation of a game controller (e.g., 102) thatinteracts with the game during play. The controlling of the operation ofthe game controller may comprise adjusting sensitivity of the gamecontroller. The electronic device may determine directionality of thedetected one or more sounds and adjust the sensitivity of the gamecontroller based on the determined directionality of the detected one ormore sounds. The electronic device may increase and/or decrease thesensitivity of the game controller in response to changes in thedetermined directionality of the detected one or more sounds. Theelectronic device may perform signal analysis on the plurality ofchannels. The electronic device may determine characteristics of thedetected one or more sounds based on the signal analysis. The electronicdevice may adjust the sensitivity of the game controller based on thedetermined characteristics of the detected one or more sounds. Theelectronic device may increase and/or decrease the sensitivity of thegame controller in response to changes in the determined characteristicsof the detected one or more sounds. The electronic device may performthe increase and/or decrease of the sensitivity of the game controllerdynamically (e.g., during game play while concurrently processing audio)and/or adaptively (e.g., based on feedback such as from the gamecontroller and/or the game console (e.g., 176) on which the game isbeing played).

As utilized herein the terms “circuits” and “circuitry” refer tophysical electronic components (i.e. hardware) and any software and/orfirmware (“code”) which may configure the hardware, be executed by thehardware, and or otherwise be associated with the hardware. As usedherein, for example, a particular processor and memory may comprise afirst “circuit” when executing a first one or more lines of code and maycomprise a second “circuit” when executing a second one or more lines ofcode. As utilized herein, “and/or” means any one or more of the items inthe list joined by “and/or”. As an example, “x and/or y” means anyelement of the three-element set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example,“x, y, and/or z” means any element of the seven-element set {(x), (y),(z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z), (x, y, z)}. As utilized herein, the terms“e.g.,” and “for example” set off lists of one or more non-limitingexamples, instances, or illustrations. As utilized herein, circuitry is“operable” to perform a function whenever the circuitry comprises thenecessary hardware and code (if any is necessary) to perform thefunction, regardless of whether performance of the function is disabled,or not enabled, by some user-configurable setting.

Throughout this disclosure, the use of the terms dynamically and/oradaptively with respect to an operation means that, for example,parameters for, configurations for and/or execution of the operation maybe configured or reconfigured during run-time (e.g., in, or near,real-time) based on newly received or updated information or data. Forexample, an operation within a transmitter and/or a receiver may beconfigured or reconfigured based on, for example, current, recentlyreceived and/or updated signals, information and/or data.

The present method and/or system may be realized in hardware, software,or a combination of hardware and software. The present methods and/orsystems may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least onecomputing system, or in a distributed fashion where different elementsare spread across several interconnected computing systems. Any kind ofcomputing system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methodsdescribed herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware andsoftware may be a general-purpose computing system with a program orother code that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computingsystem such that it carries out the methods described herein. Anothertypical implementation may comprise an application specific integratedcircuit or chip. Some implementations may comprise a non-transitorymachine-readable (e.g., computer readable) medium (e.g., FLASH drive,optical disk, magnetic storage disk, or the like) having stored thereonone or more lines of code executable by a machine, thereby causing themachine to perform processes as described herein.

While the present method and/or system has been described with referenceto certain implementations, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes may be made and equivalents may besubstituted without departing from the scope of the present methodand/or system. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt aparticular situation or material to the teachings of the presentdisclosure without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intendedthat the present method and/or system not be limited to the particularimplementations disclosed, but that the present method and/or systemwill include all implementations falling within the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: audio processing circuitrythat is operable to perform an analysis of audio output by a gamingconsole; and game controller sensitivity circuitry that is operable toadjust, based on said analysis of said audio output by said gamingconsole, sensitivity of a game controller coupled to said gamingconsole.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said analysis comprises adetermination of directionality of a sound in said audio.
 3. The systemof claim 2, wherein said adjustment of said sensitivity of said gamecontroller comprises: setting of said sensitivity of said controller toa higher level when said directionality indicates a source of said soundis behind a game player's character; and setting of said sensitivity ofsaid controller to a lower level when said directionality indicates saidsource of said sound is in front of a game player's character.
 4. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein said adjustment of said sensitivity of saidgame controller comprises: an increase of said sensitivity of saidcontroller as said directionality indicates a source of said sounds isgetting further from a game player's character; and a decrease of saidsensitivity of said controller as said directionality indicates saidsource of said sounds is getting closer to a game player's character. 5.The system of claim 2, wherein said adjustment of said sensitivity ofsaid game controller comprises: an increase of said sensitivity of saidcontroller as said directionality indicates a source of said sounds isgetting further from centered in front of a game player's character; anda decrease of said sensitivity of said controller as said directionalityindicates said source of said sounds is getting closer to centered infront of said game player's character.
 6. The system of claim 1, whereinsaid analysis comprises a determination of one or more of: a pitch, atone, and a frequency present in said audio.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein said analysis comprises a determination of intensity of saidaudio.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein: said analysis comprises adetermination of a speed of a source of a sound in said audio; and saidsensitivity of said game controller is adjusted to track said speed ofsaid source of said sound.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein said gamecontroller sensitivity circuitry is operable to communicate with saidgame controller directly or via said game console.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein game controller sensitivity circuitry is operable toadjust said sensitivity of said game controller occurs dynamically whilesaid game controller is in use.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein saidadjusting said sensitivity of said game controller occurs dynamicallywhile said game controller is in use.
 12. A method comprising:performing, by audio processing circuitry, an analysis of audio outputby a gaming console; and adjusting, by game controller sensitivitycircuitry based on said analysis of said audio output by said gamingconsole, sensitivity of a game controller coupled to said gamingconsole.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said analysis comprises adetermination of directionality of a sound in said audio.
 14. The methodof claim 13, wherein said adjusting said sensitivity of said gamecontroller comprises: setting said sensitivity of said controller to ahigher level when said directionality indicates a source of said soundis behind a game player's character; and setting said sensitivity ofsaid controller to a lower level when said directionality indicates saidsource of said sound is in front of a game player's character.
 15. Themethod of claim 13, wherein said adjusting said sensitivity of said gamecontroller comprises: increasing said sensitivity of said controller assaid directionality indicates a source of said sounds is getting furtherfrom a game player's character; and decreasing said sensitivity of saidcontroller as said directionality indicates said source of said soundsis getting closer to a game player's character.
 16. The method of claim13, wherein said adjusting said sensitivity of said game controllercomprises: increasing said sensitivity of said controller as saiddirectionality indicates a source of said sounds is getting further fromcentered in front of a game player's character; and decreasing saidsensitivity of said controller as said directionality indicates saidsource of said sounds is getting closer to centered in front of saidgame player's character.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein saidperforming said analysis comprises determining one or more of: a pitch,a tone, and a frequency present in said audio.
 18. The method of claim12, wherein said performing said analysis comprises determiningintensity of said audio.
 19. The method of claim 12, wherein: saidperforming said analysis comprises determining a speed of a source of asound in said audio; and adjusting said sensitivity of said gamecontroller to track said speed of said source of said sound.
 20. Themethod of claim 12, wherein said game controller sensitivity circuitrycommunicates with said game controller directly or via said gameconsole.